Quarterfinals Preview: Class 5A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The quarterfinals of the New Mexico High School Football playoffs are set for this weekend with 20 games across the five classifications scheduled to be played on Friday and Saturday. Here is a preview of the four Class 5A matchups:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Class 5A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belen at Roswell (Fri., 7 p.m.)</strong>: Belen is one of the hottest teams in Class 5A with five straight wins dating back to Oct. 10. They trounced Valley, 50-23, in the first round last week and now face the daunting task of beating Roswell at the Wool Bowl, something that rarely happens when the opponent isn't named Artesia. Eagles QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604925' first='Gonzalo' last='Cano']</strong>, nicknamed ‘Chalito,' is a member of the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club with 1,171 yards passing and 1,376 yards rushing. He's been superb during the five-game winning streak. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137426' first='Logan' last='Gonzalez'] </strong>has 28 receptions for 478 yards and 7 TD and &nbsp;432 yards rushing. Roswell, the No. 2 seed, is looking for a second consecutive 5A championship. 6-foot-4, 215-pound senior QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750685' first='Luke' last='Lynn'] </strong>has had a solid season at the Coyotes signal caller. Sophomore RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1826036' first='Luis' last='Rodriguez']</strong> began the season on the Roswell JV but has emerged as one of the top young RBs in the state. He had 197 yards rushing in the Week 11 rivalry win over Goddard. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gadsden at Los Alamos (Sat., Noon)</strong>: Gadsden makes the long 700-mile round trip to the Land of Oppenheimer to face the unbeaten Hilltoppers. Three years ago, Gadsden went to Los Alamos for a first-round game and rode home with an upset win. Last season, Los Alamos traveled to Gadsden for a quarterfinal matchup. So, despite the distance between the two towns, this will be the third time in four years these two teams have squared off in the playoffs. Gadsden is bringing a solid football team north. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751388' first='Ethan' last='Morales']</strong> (62.2 completion pct.), RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1357130' first='Juan' last='Rios']</strong> (1,163 rushing yards) and WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1155087' first='Anthony' last='Palomares']</strong> headline a dynamic Panthers offense. Los Alamos' No. 1 offensive strategy is no secret – give the ball to prolific RB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604744' first='Jordan' last='Herrera']</strong> as much as possible. Herrera is the state's leading rusher with 2,029 yards and 32 TD on 217 carries. But the Hilltoppers will throw the ball too. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751662' first='Hayden' last='Watkins']</strong> is completing 68.3 percent of his throws for 1,767 yards and 16 TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Gadsden vs. Los Alamos will take place Saturday, November 15th at 12 PM at Sullivan Field! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HailGadsden?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HailGadsden</a> <a href="https://t.co/7t6In2HPpu">pic.twitter.com/7t6In2HPpu</a></p>&mdash; Gadsden Football (@GadsdenPanthers) <a href="https://twitter.com/GadsdenPanthers/status/1987236707914387767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Goddard at Lovington (Sat., 1 p.m.)</strong>: After winning just two games in 2024, Goddard continues its revival under second-year head coach Arturo Bolanos. The Rockets have reached the quarterfinals of the 5A playoffs for the first time since 2021 and were competitive in both games against Artesia and Roswell, a sign they're closing the gap. It helps to have talented players, of course. Dual threat QB <strong>Nate Vasquez</strong> has thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and 17 TD. A balanced run game is led by senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1751689' first='Brady' last='Gibbs']</strong> (761 yards rushing, 7 TD). Six-foot-3 WR <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1248678' first='Josiah' last='Castillo']</strong> (39 receptions) is underrated. Lovington earned a top four seed in their second season in Class 5A, a notable accomplishment. The Wildcats persevered through injuries at the quarterback spot. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137475' first='Jayden' last='Gutierrez']</strong> has been the Wildcats' main offensive weapon all season long. He's played QB, RB and WR and thrived at all three positions. In fact, he leads the team in passing yards, rushing yards and is third in receiving yards, accounting for 24 TD. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137867' first='Elijah' last='Rivero']</strong> is a next level receiver. He's approaching 150 career receptions with three straight seasons of 40+ catches and 650+ receiving yards.      </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Highland at Artesia (Sat., 2 p.m.)</strong>: In the wake of a first round win over Mayfield, Highland heads to Artesia for a rare Saturday afternoon contest at the Bulldog Bowl. The Hornets are packing their touted run game, one of the best in the state this season. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1137423' first='Jose' last='Tapia']</strong> (1,500 rushing yards) and sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1688720' first='William' last='Anchondo']</strong> (881) have combined for 2,381 yards and 21 TD on the ground through 11 games. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1613656' first='Andres' last='Acosta']</strong> is pretty good too. If Highland is able to get the run game going, this one could get interesting. The Hornets have thrown the ball only 50 times this season. Artesia's offense is more diversified and, as we've seen over and over again this season, capable of scoring a ton of points. QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1672571' first='Derrick' last='Warren']</strong> directs the air attack, passing for 2,169 yards and 32 TD while completing 62 percent of his passes. Speedy senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1139144' first='Bryce' last='Parra']</strong> has eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards. The senior duo of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600893' first='Trent' last='Egeland']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750200' first='Jack' last='Byers']</strong> headlines a balanced receiving corps in which six receivers have 15 receptions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:html --> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">5A Quarterfinal is set. Road to #33 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/mja5xBt43U">pic.twitter.com/mja5xBt43U</a></p>&mdash; BulldogFootball 🏈🏆x32 (@artesiafootball) <a href="https://twitter.com/artesiafootball/status/1987018045215416796?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2025</a></blockquote> <!-- /wp:html --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>              </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->